Baby is the World’s First and Only Seeing-Eye Cat
Carolyn Swanson was featured in a 1947 LIFE magazine issue because of her special pet: she owned a seeing eye cat. Her Persian kitty named Baby was so loyal to her, he led her everywhere she wanted to go. He helped her leave the house, safely cross streets and go about her daily life.
He may be the first (and only) seeing eye cat to ever exist.
- In 1947, a blind woman in Los Angeles owned a cat named Baby… and there was something very special about that cat.
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- He would lead his blind owner around, day in and day out.
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- Whenever Carolyn would leave the house, she would take Baby with her.
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- Even though it looked strange…
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- Baby did the job well. He helped her cross streets…
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- Leading the way with authority…
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- Even though he sometimes stopped to rub up against something.
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- Sometimes that something would be Carolyn herself.
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- But that never distracted Baby from keeping her safe.
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- It’s amazing that he never let her stop in traffic, he did the job of a normal seeing-eye dog.
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- After a hard day of protecting his mistress, Baby was just happy to be back home.
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- He would eat, relax and spend more time with Carolyn.
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- He was even awarded a humane medal for his faithful devotion to his mistress.
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- Even though he got pretty famous, Baby never stopped being a happy little cat.
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It’s simply amazing what animals will do for their owners, although we wouldn’t suggest trying this out with your own cat.
